Today we’re going to be exploring the final facet of chiptune
creation – using VST plugins (Virtual Studio Technology) in the
form of instruments and effects to achieve that 8bit sound. We’ve
already had two articles exploring chiptune software trackers and
how to make chiptune with hardware, so check
those out first if you’re interested in this kind of thing.

Those of you who just like to listen to wonderful,
computer-generated music will appreciate this article which is jam-packed with
resources for the discerning listener.

Using VST Instuments & Effects

VST plugins come in two flavours – VST effects and VST
instruments (VSTi). Effects are often used in chiptune creation
to process clean sounds into lo-fi samples, whereas VSTi plugins
are often “played” as if they were real instruments. Similar
technologies include Audio
Units (AU) on Mac, DSSI/LV2 on Linux and RTAS by Digidesign.

These plugins require a host – a piece of software (or in some
cases hardware) that can make use of them – and many DAW
solutions support VST plugins. If you’d rather use a tracker (and
let’s face it, that’s the purest way of composing chiptune) then
I’d recommend OpenMPT (which is free) or Renoise (which isn’t,
but only costs around €60). Wikipedia has a good list of commercial and free software for
hosting VST plugins.

Similarly if you’d like to use VST plugins on their own, either
as a live instrument or just to test then there are a few
excellent hosts, with VSTHost on Windows being a free and simple
solution.

From Japanese 8bit heroes YMCK comes this amazingly powerful yet
effortlessly simple VST or AU (for Mac users) that generates
square, triangle, noise and pulse waves that sound delightful.
The plugin also comes with a ton of other parameters, including
attack, decay, sweep and sustain. YMCK have also released a paid
iPhone app called YMCK Player ($1.99) which is great for
chiptune-on-the-go.

It’s Christmas come early for anyone looking for a treasure trove
of VSTs, as Tweakbench have a bounty of plugins for generating
all manner of sounds. I’d personally recommend Toad (a drum
machine), Peach (synth) and Triforce
(another synth) for starters, though they’re all worth the
download. If you pay a measly $5 you can download every VST in
one click and feel good about supporting the author for making
such wonderful toys.

An intriguing selection of VST instruments and effects, all with
a glitchy and sinister twist. Not everything will be of use here,
but I’d recommend BITBOY which claims to be a “circuit bent
chiptune synth” (it’s pretty crazy) and the bit-crusher plugin
BIT BASHER for crushing your pristine samples down to size.

If it’s Game Boy emulation you’re after then you can do a lot
worse than pooBoy, a delightfully presented and powerful Game Boy
VST. Featuring classic Nintendo sounds, 25 presets and of course
the ability to twiddle settings and come up with your own
patches, pooBoy 2.0 is more than just a silly name!

Emulating the Atari ST YM2419 sound chip, ymVST does a stellar
job of generating some beautiful old school sounds all from the
comfort of a stylised, pixellated GUI. There’s a slight learning
curve due to lack of presets, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised
at what’s possible once you’ve played around with it.

For some reason the creator’s website (Odo Synths) has been
offline for years according to the Wayback Machine and the only place I could
find this hosted was on freemusicsoftware.org. Not to worry, because
it’s fully functional and does an excellent job of emulating the
classic SID sound chip from the Commodore 64. Packed with 66 presets and
plenty of parameters to fiddle around with, this is easily one of
the best C64 VSTs out there.

Not specifically emulating a particular system, ICECREAM is a
delightful sounding poly and monophonic synth with a lovely
interface and lots of presets to get you started. It’s easy to
come up with your own bubbly noises then crush them down to 8bit
or just manipulate what you’ve already got with the Kaoss-pad
style XY controller.

Not an instrument but an effect, CMT Bitcrusher is ideal for
taking clean samples and turning them into dirty retro noise.
Simple, free and effective.

Conclusion

All of these plugins have been tested with OpenMPT and all work
as expected. This concludes our foray into the world of chiptune
creation, if you have any questions, recommendations or links
you’d like to share then make a comment below this post.

Do you use any VSTs for chiptune creation? Do you prefer samples
and a tracker? Or maybe you’re a hardware guy? Share your
thoughts in the comments below.